Information on Uetersen air base

[Larry deZeng]

Here are the basics for Uetersen:

Uetersen (GER) (53 39 00 N – 09 42 40 E)
General: airfield (Fliegerhorst) in Schleswig-Holstein 21 km NW of Hamburg; airfield 5 km SSE of Uetersen.
History: dates from June 1933 as sports field for glider enthusiasts. Taken over by the Luftwaffe in April 1935 and built out as a major training airfield with the first aircraft flying in on 25 July 1936. Established as a Lw. Fliegerhorstkommandantur by 1 October 1936 and base construction continued until 1939. Uetersen had a huge Kaserne (barrack complex) and this was used for recruit training from 1935 on. But plans for a big flight training center were altered by the outbreak of war on 1 September 1939 and Uetersen served mainly as a month or two rest and re-equipment stop for operational flying units.
Dimensions: approx. 1000 x 1145 meters (1100 x 1250 yards) with an irregular shape.
Surface and Runways: Grass surface with paved hangar apron and paved taxiway. No paved runway. Equipped with flare path, perimeter lighting, obstruction lighting and the short form of the visual Lorenz system for night landings.
Fuel and Ammunition: refueling points on paved apron at the NE corner of the landing area in front of hangars. One small ammunition dump off the S boundary and another off the W boundary.
Infrastructure: had 1 large hangar, 1 large repair hangar and 2 small hangars, all along the N boundary and all with paved aprons. The station motor pool and garage was off the NE corner. A large group of barrack buildings (Kaserne or barrack complex) was just N of the hangars, and just to the E of these were the station HQ, officers’ mess, dining halls, and several additional barracks. The station sports ground and dispensary were just W of the large group of barracks. The control tower was between the two large hangars. The nearest rail connection was in Uetersen to the NW of the airfield.
Dispersal: there were 4 dispersal areas: Northeast, South, Northwest and West with a total of 20 large open aircraft shelters, 43 small open aircraft shelters and 12 hardstands.
Defenses: protected by 1 or 2 heavy Flak positions and 5 light Flak positions, all of the latter mounted in Flak towers.
Satellites and Decoys:
Uetersen-Holm (53 37 15 N – 09 40 35), dummy or decoy 5 km WSW of Uetersen airfield.
Remarks:
3/4 Mar 43: bombed by the RAF – caused considerable damage to the landing area and the barracks.
5 May 45: captured by British troops.
Operational Units: I.(Jagd)/LG 2 (Oct 39); Kü.Fl.Gr. 806 (1939-41); I./KG z.b.V. 1 (Sep 39 – Apr 40); KGr.z.b.V. 106 (Mar-May 40); 7., 8./KG z.b.V. 1 (Apr 40); II./JG 54 (Nov 41 – Jan 42); 4./JG 1 (Feb 42); IV./KG 30 (1942); Zieldarstellungsstaffel 101 (May 42 - ? )?; Zieldarstellungsstaffel 102 (1943-44)?; II./JG 3 (Aug-Sep 43); part of III./NJG 3 (Dec 44 – May 45); Stab, II./JG 26 (Apr 45). Additionally, more than 13 operational units used Uetersen for short periods during the war.
School Units: Fliegertechnische Schule 4 (c. 1939-42); Arbeitsplatz for twin-engined conversion school Stade (Nov 37 – Sep 39); Flieger-Ers.Abt. 37 (later renumber 32) (1 Oct 35 – Mar 39); Fl.Ausbildungs-Rgt. 32 (Apr 39 - 1940); Arbeitsplatz for Schule/FAR 32 (Oldenburg) (1939); Ausb.Abt./Luftgau XI (c.Apr 41 – c.Dec 44).
Reserve Training & Replacement Units: Erg.Gr./JG 27 (Jul – Sep 41); Fallsch.Pi.Ers.- u.Ausb.Btl. 1 (Jan 45 - ?).
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 67/XI (Jan 43); Fl.H.Kdtr. E 16/IV (Jan – Feb 43); Flughafen-Stützpunktkdo. 21/XI (Apr 41 – Nov 42); Fl.Pl.Kdo. A 21/XI (Nov 42 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 6/XI (Apr 44 – May 45).
Kommandant (not complete): Oberst Herbert Sonnenburg ( ? - Mar 40) 9/39; Obstlt. Theodor Greve (30 Jun 41 - 14 Jan 43).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Feldwerft-Abt. V/20; 7./le.Flak-Abt. 876 (1943-44); Auffanglager Luftgau XI (Nov 42).
[Sources: AFHRA A5257A pp.508-11 (28 Feb 44 and updated); chronologies; BA-MA; NARA; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk; web site fliegerhorste.de]